It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.


Two polar opposites light up the box office this weekend. The Boy, a horror-mystery, and then Me Before You, a romantic drama about unlikely love.

Let’s dive right in and see if either of these offers enough to make a trip to the theatre worth it.

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Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.

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The Boy (2016, William Brent Bell)
A nanny is shocked that her family's boy is actually a doll.

Let’s begin with The Boy, a mix of horror, thrills, and mystery about, you guessed it, a boy. But not a real boy, a life-size doll.

Greta is a young American woman who takes a job as a nanny in a remote English village. But it isn’t long before she discovers that the family's 8-year-old is a life-sized doll that the parents care for just like a real boy, as a way to cope with the death of their actual son 20 years before. After violating a list of strict rules, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events bring Greta's worst nightmare to life, leading her to believe that the doll is actually alive.

The Boy starts out strong, and is downright creepy for the first hour or so, After this, though, it stumbles, and can’t make it to a satisfying conclusion. It’s a perfectly entertaining thriller, although it doesn't break any new ground, despite its unusual premise.

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Me Before You (2016, Thea Sharrock)
A girl forms a bond with a paralyzed man for whom she cares.

Second this week is Me Before You, a tear jerking romantic drama.

Adapted from the bestselling novel by Jo Jo Moyes, Me Before You is the story of the unexpected relationship that blossoms between a contented small town Englishwoman and the wealthy, paralyzed Londoner who hires her as his caretaker.

While there’s no doubt that this movie will bring anyone with any heart at all to tears, some say that the movie earns those tears through its earnestness and genuosity, others, that it guides you the whole way there.

Whatever the case, Me Before You is a sweet, romantic drama that offers some nice contrast to our previous horror/thriller.